Non-stars keep Clippers in game

Reminded for what must have seemed to him like the millionth time in two days that he was a couple diamonds short of a flush in his mental poker game with Gregg Popovich, Vinny Del Negro insisted he was getting closer.

No, he admitted before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night, he hadn’t yet established the kind of Spurs-like harmony in which everyone understood and lived up to their roles. But Del Negro said there were, in fact, members of the Los Angeles Clippers who fit the bill.

“Some guys,” Del Negro said.

As it turned out in the Spurs’ 108-92 romp at the AT&T Center, the identities of “some guys” were a surprise. In a twist for a Clippers team that was supposed to rely on a couple of stars and little else, they got a big lift from their bench but were let down by their superstars.

On a night when backup point guard Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points and Nick Young had 13, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were largely contained by a Spurs defense that had no apparent interest in starring in their season-long highlight reel.

Paul handed out 10 assists but finished with only six points and shot just 3 for 13 from the field. He missed all seven shots he attempted in the second half and never took control of the game the way he did at key moments in the Clippers’ first-round series victory over Memphis.

Still, Paul said there were reasons to be encouraged.

“I got the shots I wanted; that’s the good thing,” Paul said. “I just need to knock them down.”

The Clippers did show the potential to hang with the Spurs in spurts, including a game-opening stretch in which they made seven of their first nine shots and a 10-0 run to cut an 18-point deficit to eight early in the fourth quarter.

But surprisingly, that burst was keyed not by Paul, but his backup. Bledsoe, who reached double figures in scoring just once in seven games against Memphis and matched his career high Tuesday, made three baskets during the Clippers’ run and had 14 points in the second half.

Young also had a strong stretch off the bench, hitting two first-half 3-pointers, including one while being fouled by Stephen Jackson.

Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who said his team usually relies on “youth and athleticism,” said getting key contributions from unexpected places could be a key in a Spurs matchup that’s about more than high-flying dunks.

“It’s more of a cerebral game,” Jordan said.

Griffin was doing some serious thinking after his performance, in which he shot 7 of 17 for 15 points. He had a decent night playing with an aching knee, but he knew it wasn’t good enough.

“I’ve got to do better, and I’m confident I will,” Griffin said. “I expect a lot out of myself.”